Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Property

  • January 21, 2025

    La. Judge Lifts Arbitration Order In $7M Ida Damage Case

    A Louisiana federal judge lifted a stay and vacated an order to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against domestic surplus insurers, ruling that a recent decision from Louisiana's top court represents an "'intervening change in the controlling law.'"

  • January 21, 2025

    Conn. Cannabis Co.'s Income Loss Not Covered, Judge Says

    A cannabis product manufacturer cannot get more than $1.3 million in business interruption coverage from a Berkshire Hathaway unit for a fire in one of its "flowering rooms," a Connecticut federal court ruled, finding it failed to establish a causal link between a suspension of operations and lost income.

  • January 21, 2025

    10th Circ. Skeptical Ruling Would Invite Bogus Claim Denials

    A Tenth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday that a lower court had cleared the way for the insurance industry to rely on flawed expert reports to justify claims decisions, with one judge suggesting the ruling was a limited one.

  • January 21, 2025

    As Fire Victims Seek Legal Help, Experts Warn Of Red Flags

    As lawyers from across the nation descend upon Southern California to sign up those affected by the devastating wildfires, fire victims should not rush to hire an attorney, lest they also become victims of fraud or other predatory practices, the state bar and ethics-savvy attorneys warn.

  • January 17, 2025

    Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year

    Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.

  • January 17, 2025

    Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Âé¶¹´«Ã½360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 17, 2025

    Fla. HOA Says Insurer Failed To Pay Or Appraise $9.5M Claim

    A Sunshine State condo association told a Florida federal court Friday that its insurer failed to pay its $9.5 million claim for damages sustained as a result of Hurricane Ian, alleging the insurer didn't meet its policy's terms regarding assigning an appraiser.

  • January 17, 2025

    Property Owner Says Nationwide Lowballed On $3.8M Losses

    A Georgia property owner accused its insurer, a Nationwide unit, of "grossly underestimating" damages from separate hail and water events, alleging it was offered a combined total of less than $8,000 for losses exceeding $3.8 million, in a case removed to Georgia federal court.

  • January 16, 2025

    GM, OnStar Agree To FTC's Ban On Location Data Sharing

    General Motors and OnStar agreed to a five-year ban on disclosing geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's allegations that the companies didn't get drivers' consent before sharing, the agency announced Thursday.

  • January 16, 2025

    Fire-Safe Rebuilding Key To Reducing LA Insurance Issues

    Reducing the potential of fires like those in Los Angeles to disrupt insurance and housing markets will require a significant and sustained effort to lower physical risks in fire-prone communities, and a commitment to rebuilding to stronger standards.

  • January 16, 2025

    Insured Atty Says Strike Trade Issues Need Special Coverage

    Union leaders and management for ports and shipping companies reached a tentative deal to avoid a major strike, a close call that highlighted how losses from trade disruptions can fall through the cracks of standard insurance coverage. Stephen Raptis, a partner at Reed Smith LLP's insurance recovery practice, spoke to Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 about the kinds of losses that can result from a strike-induced supply chain disruption, where the usual coverage options fall short and what policyholders in the maritime trade can do to minimize their risks.

  • January 16, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Revisit Mercedes Fire Coverage Row

    The Sixth Circuit declined Thursday to revisit a decision finding the research group for Mercedes-Benz North America could be liable for over $1 million in property damage following a fire its employees set inadvertently at a Michigan property it rented.

  • January 16, 2025

    Allstate Hit With Class Action Over Driver Data Collection

    Allstate illegally obtained the personal driving data of millions of policyholders via software embedded in third-party apps and secretly used that data to hike premiums, deny claims or drop policyholders from coverage altogether, according to a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court.

  • January 16, 2025

    Home Depot's 6th Circ. Loss Reveals Cyber Coverage Gaps

    The Sixth Circuit's finding that an electronic data exclusion in Home Depot's insurance policies barred coverage for a $50 million claim stemming from a 2014 data breach marks an important distinction in litigation over whether multiple types of policies can cover the same loss, experts say.

  • January 16, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The Sixth Circuit backed Home Depot’s loss in its $50 million data breach coverage fight, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a California farming partnership’s crop coverage dispute, and the Fourth Circuit ruled that an insurer must reimburse Liberty Mutual for a $1 million appeal bond. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • January 16, 2025

    Condo Association Seeks $3.4M In Water Damage Coverage

    A Washington state condominium association argued that its insurers owe payouts for an estimated $3.4 million in property damage caused by hidden water intrusion, the association told a federal court.

  • January 15, 2025

    Natural Disasters And Wildfires Reshape CRE Dealmaking

    Natural disasters are already reshaping all aspects of commercial real estate dealmaking, attorneys say, and their importance is expected to grow considerably as a result of the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

  • January 14, 2025

    Insurer Says Event Co. Hid Texts Showing Overstated Losses

    An insurer renewed its request for sanctions in a Minnesota federal case against an event center it insured, accusing the business of concealing evidence that it fraudulently inflated its losses from vandalism after the death of George Floyd.

  • January 14, 2025

    Mercedes Urges 6th Circ. Redo Of Fire Coverage Ruling

    The research group for Mercedes-Benz North America has told the Sixth Circuit it should not have to reimburse the insurer of an Ann Arbor, Michigan, property it rented for a fire it inadvertently set, saying a clause in its lease prevents subrogation.

  • January 10, 2025

    Excess Insurers Freed From Kiwanis Sex Abuse Case

    A Washington federal judge on Friday dismissed child sex abuse survivors' claims against excess insurers of a boys foster home run by Kiwanis International, calling the plaintiffs' demands for coverage of a $21 million judgment "unripe" because the home's primary policies have not been drained.

  • January 10, 2025

    LA Fire Insured Damages Could Top $20B, JP Morgan Says

    Insured losses from wildfires still blazing through Los Angeles could exceed $20 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts said in client notes, a steep increase from the more than $12 billion California insurers incurred from the next costliest spate of wildfires in 2018.

  • January 09, 2025

    Calif. Reinsurance Plan Spurs Mixed Feelings As Fires Spread

    One week before the Los Angeles wildfires began, California's insurance regulator said insurers would soon be required to increase coverage in areas deemed high-risk for wildfires, leaving experts split over whether the regulation is an overdue update or an opportunity to pass costs onto policyholders.

  • January 09, 2025

    Top Climate Stories For Insurance Attys To Watch In 2025

    Climate change is fueling a national insurance crisis that is threatening housing markets, municipal tax revenues and the ability to adapt to extreme weather events. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 examines the top climate stories attorneys should watch in 2025.

  • January 09, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A Delaware court sided with a policyholder in a dispute over a bump-up exclusion, an Ohio federal court permitted an interlocutory appeal on the number of occurrences at issue over recalled batches of peanut butter, and a Pennsylvania appeals court clarified when stacking of underinsured motorist benefits is permitted. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • January 09, 2025

    Mass. Hospital, Insurer Settle Pandemic Coverage Row

    A Massachusetts hospital and its commercial property insurer told a Boston federal judge Thursday that they had settled a suit over costs and lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow

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    Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery

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    To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.

  • Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint

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    In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.

  • Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'

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    In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.

  • How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers

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    As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters

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    As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.

  • 3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Âé¶¹´«Ã½

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    There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Conn. Insurers Should Note Stricter Market Exit Oversight

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    The Connecticut Insurance Department recently issued a bulletin that reflects a unique and stricter approach to insurers' market withdrawals and reductions in property and casualty business, making clear that it will not assess compliance based on an insurer's intent, but on the effect of the insurer's actions, says Elizabeth Retersdorf at Day Pitney.

  • Extreme Weather And Renewable Project Insurance Coverage

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    The regularity and severity of extreme weather events driven by climate change are putting renewable energy projects increasingly at risk — so project owners, contractors and investors should understand the issues that can arise in these situations when seeking recovery under a builder's risk insurance policy, say Paul Ferland and Joshua Tumen at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Potential Relief For Nevada Insureds Is On The Horizon

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    A proposed regulation recently issued by the Nevada Division of Insurance would severely restrict the state's new law prohibiting burning-limits policies, enacting welcome changes to address businesses' concerns that the law will make it harder to obtain cost-effective liability insurance, says Sheri Thome at Wilson Elser.

  • NY Co-Ops Must Avoid Pitfalls When Navigating Insurance

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    In light of skyrocketing premiums, tricky exclusions and dwindling options, New York cooperative corporations must carefully review potential contractors' insurance policies in order to secure full protection, as even seemingly minor contractor jobs can carry significant risk due to New York labor laws, says Eliot Zuckerman at Smith Gambrell.

  • Insurance Rulings Continue Expansion Of Appraisal's Ambit

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    Two recent Illinois insurance cases allowing property damage appraisers to determine causation — Wysoczan v. Cambridge in federal court and Shelter v. Morrow in state appellate court — perpetuate a judicial trend that will result in a slower, more expensive and cumbersome appraisal process that resembles litigation, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • Suits Likely Over Nevada Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Limiting Claimant Injury Exams

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    A new Nevada law placing barriers on the mental or physical examinations that defendants use to evaluate claimants' injuries will likely spur waves of litigation to reconcile it with existing rules and practice, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

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